I was emailing back and forth with Richard Cowles of the CT Agricultural Experiment Station, entomologist who is working on baits and controls. He gave me this recipe for bait: "I was the one who came up with the vinegar, grape juice, alcohol combo. It is an alternative to 60:40 mix of red wine:apple cider vinegar. This mix is much, much better than apple cider vinegar alone. It is also only a fraction as attractive as the actively fermenting baits, the best of which, so far, is 12 fl oz water 1 c whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 Tbsp active dried yeast Yes, this is a super-attractive bait. You could probably use less yeast, and simply let it multiply." No sticky card needed, though it is easier to count the flies. I was seeing flies around a patch of wild blackberries that were shaded. The 90-degree temps in July probably kept them from moving in too early but they're here now. He suggested netting the TC blackberries I planted last year that are ripening now, but problem is primocane-fruiting raspberries are still flowering and bees need to get in. He's working on some new methods of control, but it's a challenge: " I am working on a number of tools, including attract-and-kill baits, and am improving attractant traps to the point where it may be possible to protect cane fruit with the combination of Entrust and use of these traps. The problem is that Entrust may only be used twice, and then a different class of insecticides is legally required before you return to using Entrust. Plus, Entrust may only be used three times, totally, on one crop. Without an effective insecticide to use in a rotation with Entrust, organic production of cane fruit while maintaining fruit quality when SWD are present is practically impossible." He said some flies seem to be recovering after spraying pyrethrins, but since you have to use a different class after using spinosad, I don't know what else an organic grower could use. I suggested kaolin clay and he replied that it was promising: " I believe that SWD can travel several hundred feet in a day through fruit crops. They also disperse throughout a crop because they may travel back and forth to shady places in nearby woods. I believe that kaolin clay is a good option. Based upon my lab tests, flies encountering the clay are repelled and die within a few hours (it’s a pretty good desiccant). Pyrethrins have not proven to be effective. There are reports that the flies may recover following poisoning, which is a very bad development. " Fine netting (I'm using sheer curtains) after pollination is the best we can do right now. I'm not selling any more soft fruit this year - just using the blueberries I picked in July and froze for jams. The domesticated RB and TC BB are too few to market, only planted a few last year but they're spreading, I was hoping to have a nice patch for market in a few years. Wild blackberries are fairly prolific (a little dry in July for them) after last year's drought and I was planning on a good cash crop with them this year but unless I pick the small patch just renovated 2 years ago (in full sun) and test with fruit dunk and don't find any larvae I won't be selling those. Of course the soak (and crush) makes them unusable for fresh, have to make jam or jelly out of those too. I do have yeast traps out he suggested every 30ft in grid pattern, so far I've just put them where I've seen the flies b/c I don't want to attract them to other areas. But netting the wild ones is not an option. I'm going to email him again and ask if I should just clear-cut and bag the infested area I've found along the roadway, or if I should keep the canes and traps there (while picking any overipe or damaged fruit to prevent reproduction) as a "trap crop". I didn't know they would infest apples and pears, thought it was just soft fruit. There is concern that Junebearing strawberries may be at risk - everbearing are.

"Roughly speaking, how much of the flora is unable to grow on the West Coast?" Seems like it's usually more like what won't grow here? (Often with bad consequences, in the case of invasives.) For instance, my mother is endlessly frustrated by my interest in native plants (she is in New Mexico), as she says "You can grow ANYTHING there and you plant plain old Apricot Mallow???!" lol. Of course, I still have a lemon tree, orange tree, palm tree, tea tree, orchid tree, hibiscus, hydrangea, avocado etc....Full disclosure: I am a newbie and just got some actual dirt a year ago - but it has been amazing to learn about this amazing climate - which is Mediterranean btw. Often I wish there was a California version of every forum here - particularly veggies, since our planting times are totally different. Some books I like: Mediterranean Kitchen Garden: Growing Organic Fruit and Vegetables in a Hot, Dry Climate by Mariano Bueno, Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening, and California Native Plants for the Garden by Carol Bornstein et al. The Sunset Bible is also on my shelf. The micro-climate is crucial - I am in East LA and have a totally different zone than you will in Santa Monica. One thing that I'll add to look into for native plants is the Theodore Payne Foundation which is local - it's really a neat non-profit nursery and educational resource.

Thanks for thinking of us blfenton and thanks for all the well wishes. In RI here they declared a state of emergency this afternoon. Mandatory evacuations have already been issued. I'm very close to the water and the boats are all backed up waiting their turn to be hauled out of the water. No D batteries or bottled water left anywhere. Not a generator in sight. I don't have a generator but I'm all set with the rest. DD went shopping while I was at school yesterday:) What a great kid. We got kicked out of school early today (students don't start until Wed) so the custodial staff can secure the building. We are having astronomical high tides Sun, just in time for Irene. Storm surges. Flooding. Rip currents. For anyone in the path, I prefer the website www.wunderground.com (weather underground) to the other more commercial weather sites. I did turn on the weather channel but those forecasting nitwits (IMO) are all juiced up about this weather event. I swear it's like weather porn for them! Be safe, be careful, and be prepared! Forget the bread and milk (if your'e from the area you'll know what I mean) opt for the wine and cheese. We're gonna need it.

You'll have a lovely time, bigack, apart from the weather, but I guess you can use cars. I did enjoy walking the 4th St. area though. Maddie, here in Northern Ca we're supposed to have triple-digit weather today, but without the humidity. That would make it unbearable to me! You live in a lovely city. Marilyn Sue, I so enjoy reading your homey posts and now I can put you in the proper setting in my mind's eye. :) It really is pretty country. Do you know of Shapiro's? Susanjf, I must say I would very much miss this place if I had to move. As you say, it's so easy to get to the mountains, beach or valley within a short amount of time. I'm not from here, but have most definitely adapted well. Until the Big One, that is! I suppose we will have smog today though. My nephew who lives in L.A. now went home for a visit (to Oregon,) and told my mom that he loves looking up and seeing blue sky, not the usual grey, smoggy sky. Ha ha, Iowagirl! That was a cute video which I'll send to my in-laws. I loved the passing view of the corn/soy fields because it was all new to me and because it was green with farm houses interspersed. I would have waved at you, had I known you lived there! I thought about you too, Linda, knowing you moved to Iowa from Ca, though I didn't know you live in IC. My in-laws find the city a wonderful place to live, apart from the crummy weather. We really lucked out on that score. They are moving mostly because of her aging parents and because their kids are on the West Coast now. Thanks for the fun comments, all!